Herodian's Roman
History

Herodian
(late second, first half third century): Greek historian, author of a History
of the Roman Empire since the Death of Marcus Aurelius (table
of contents) in which he describes the reign of
Commodus (180-192), the Year of the Five Emperors (193), the age of the
Severan dynasty (211-235),
and the Year of the Six Emperors (238).

The translation was made by Edward C. Echols (Herodian of Antioch's History of
the Roman Empire, 1961 Berkeley and Los Angeles) and was
put online for the
first time by Roger Pearse (Tertullian.Org).
The version offered on these pages is hyperlinked and contains notes by
Jona Lendering.

3.14: Severus' British expedition

[208]In the midst of the emperor's distress
at the kind of life his sons were leading and their disgraceful
obsession with shows, the governor of Britain informed Severus by
dispatches that the barbarians there were in revolt and overrunning the
country, looting and destroying virtually everything on the island. He
told Severus that he needed either a stronger army for the defense of
the province or the presence of the emperor himself.

Severus was delighted
with this news: glory-loving by nature, he wished to win victories over
the Britons to add to the victories and titles of honor he had won in
the East and the West. But he wished even more to take his sons away
from Rome so that they might settle down in the soldier's life under
military discipline, far from the luxuries and pleasures
in Rome. And so, although he was now well advanced in years and
crippled with arthritis, Severus announced his expedition to Britain,
and in his heart he was more enthusiastic than any youth.

During the greater
part of the journey he was carried in a litter, but he never remained
very long in one place and never stopped to rest. He arrived with his
sons at the coast sooner than anyone anticipated, outstripping the news
of his approach. He crossed the Channel and landed in Britain; levying
soldiers from all these areas, he raised a powerful army and made
preparations for the campaign.

Disconcerted by the
emperor's sudden arrival, and realizing that this huge army had been
assembled to make war upon them, the Britons sent envoys to Severus to
discuss terms of peace, anxious to make amends for their previous
errors.

Seeking to prolong
the war so as to avoid a quick return to Rome, and still wishing to
gain a victory over the Britons and the title of honor too, Severus
dismissed the envoys, refusing their offers, and continued his
preparations for the war. He especially saw to it that dikes were
provided in the marshy regions so that the soldiers might advance
safely by running on these earth causeways and fight on a firm, solid
footing.

Most of the regions
of Britain are marshy, since they are flooded continually by the tides
of the ocean;[1] the barbarians are accustomed to swimming or wading
through these waist-deep marsh pools; since they go about naked, they
are unconcerned about muddying their bodies.

Strangers to
clothing, the Britons wear ornaments of iron at their waists and
throats; considering iron a symbol of wealth, they value this metal as
other barbarians value gold. They tattoo their bodies with colored
designs and drawings of all kinds of animals; for this reason they do
not wear clothes, which would conceal the decorations on their bodies.

Extremely savage and warlike, they are armed only with a spear and a narrow shield, plus a
sword that hangs suspended by a belt from their otherwise naked bodies.
They do not use breastplates or helmets, considering them encumbrances
in crossing the marshes. For all these reasons, Severus prepared
whatever he thought would be of advantage to the Roman army and
whatever would harass the barbarians and hamper their attacks.

When it seemed to
him that all was in readiness for the campaign, Severus left the
younger of his two sons, Geta, in the section of the province under
Roman control; he instructed him to administer justice and attend to
imperial affairs, leaving with him as advisers his more elderly
friends. Then, accompanied by Caracalla, the emperor marched out
against the barbarians.

After the troops had crossed the rivers and the earthworks which marked the boundary of the Roman empire in this region,[2]
frequent battles and skirmishes occurred, and in these the Romans were
victorious. But it was easy for the Britons to slip away; putting their
knowledge of the surrounding area to good use, they disappeared in the
woods and marshes. The Romans' unfamiliarity with the terrain prolonged
the war.